Hardest-Working Cities in America

Feb 25, 2019 | Adam McCann, Financial Writer

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Many Americans view hard work as the path to achieving the American Dream. We work so hard, in fact, that we put in more hours at our jobs than several other industrialized countries. The average U.S. worker puts in 1,780 hours per year – 70 hours more than the average in Japan, 266 more than the U.K. and 424 more than Germany.

But some U.S. cities represent the strong work ethic that helped to build the world’s biggest economy better than others. In order to determine which cities outwork the rest of America, WalletHub compared the 116 largest cities across ten key metrics. Our data set ranges from employment rate to average weekly work hours to share of workers with multiple jobs. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.

Methodology

In order to determine where the hardest-working Americans live, WalletHub compared 116 of the most populated cities across two key dimensions, “Direct Work Factors” and “Indirect Work Factors.”

We evaluated those dimensions using ten key metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the “hardest-working.” Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available only at the state level.

We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

For our sample, we ensured that at least one city from each of the 50 states was represented. Each city refers to city proper and excludes the surrounding metro area.

Direct Work Factors – Total Points: 80

Average Workweek Hours: Triple Weight (~36.92 Points)

Employment Rate: Full Weight (~12.31 Points)Note: This metric was calculated as follows: Civilian Population Aged 16 Years and Over Employed / Total Civilian Population Aged 16 Years and Over in Labor Force.

Share of Engaged Workers*: Half Weight (~6.15 Points)Note: This metric measures the share of employees who are “involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace,” as defined by Gallup.

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Travel Association, Gallup, Social Science Research Council and Corporation for National & Community Service.

Image: wavebreakmedia / Shutterstock.com

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Community Discussion

I note that the highest rankings (smaller circles) are for the most part middle-America cities with some on the outer coasts. Seems odd that many blue-collar towns with industrial manufacturing rate so low. I think something that should be considered is wage vs. cost of living as well. If a city has low housing costs, which allows for single worker homes, and wages that allow for that in a 40 hour work week, it seems that makes more than 50% of the rating system adversely affected. Much the less, it could be cross-tabulated with the dominant industry in the area. I feel if agricultural, you will see hours spent on the job skyrocket vs. any blue or white collar job, which is over 30% of the entire survey, and much of the direct factor. I can appreciate the hard work that went into it, but the map shows a skew that doesn't make practical sense.